St Giles West Bridgford. Annual Report April 2014

Transcription

1 St Giles West Bridgford Annual Report April 2014

2 Rector s Report Lee Proudlove It always surprises me as Rector when I read through the Annual Report just how much there is going on at St Giles, and how much there is to be thankful to God for. In John s gospel he records Jesus challenge his disciples with the words: I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15 v 5 At this season in the life of St Giles we are seeing growth in our children s work, amongst our teenagers, with our families and among our seniors. And whilst we can point to some of the changes that we have made to facilitate this, any real and lasting change is the fruit of a deepening of our relationship with Christ and his work in us as a church. Let our first thanks be to Him. My thanks too to Richard and Caroline for another year of service to St Giles as our Churchwardens. As ever in these roles much of the hard work is unseen, but not unappreciated by us. Thank you for all that you have done and thank you too to Brendan, Martin, Matt and Neil for the support that you have given to them. This last year Andy Wright joined us as our youthworker. He has made a real impact in galvanising our young people s work, and brings lots of energy, fun and ideas to St Giles. Claire Sheard has a full year under her belt as our church administrator, a role critical to the smooth running of St Giles, and I am grateful for the hard work Claire puts in often doing things that aren t really her job but need doing anyway! The big change this past year has been to our Sunday service pattern. Moving to a 9am service followed by coffee and then a 10.30am service was a challenge but we approached this in a really positive mood as a church and rose to that challenge. We formed new worship groups, organised new patterns of services, changed our styles as we went. Andrew Rootham and Hannah Crawford have been critical to the success of the 10.30am service and Roger Ottway and Dizzy Prentice and the choir have worked hard at the 9am. My sense is that the changes have been well received and the growth in attendance has been marked. Once again To God be the Glory. Thank you too to everyone helps in so many ways at St Giles, too many to name here our readers, intercessors, preachers, children s leaders, pastoral team, PCC members, Homegroup leaders, seniors and youth leaders, those who clean the church, those who serve on rotas, on and on it goes. Thank you. And to those of us who read this and wonder is there a place that I could serve? Yes there is absolutely! Come and have a chat with me! And don t forget our church weekend away in Wishing you God s blessing 2

3 Church Warden s Report Sidespersons Report It has been a year of much change and adjustment for members of the Sidespersons teams and for Richard and myself, following the introduction of the new service pattern in October. However, apart from a few teething issues, we all seem to have taken it in our stride and I would hazard to say that things are now working very well. Our thanks to everybody concerned for their patience and understanding whilst we made the transition and for their continued support of this most vital of roles at St Giles. Last year Jude Hill, Claire Sheard and I attended a day long conference at the Rock Church which was aimed at improving the welcome offered by churches on a Sunday morning. Following this we have tried to start to implement some of the ideas suggested. Jude has very kindly offered to take on coordinating what will now be known as the Welcome Team and I am sure will do a great job. The other major change brought about by the new service pattern was the introduction of coffee at 10am. Although there was some reservation about this being a workable idea, it has turned out to be a resounding success (although this could just be down to the Rector s taste in doughnuts!). May I offer my congratulations and thanks to everybody who works so hard in the George Chapel kitchen on a Sunday to produce what seems like gallons of coffee and tea, and also thanks to Claire Sheard for buying the masses of pastries and biscuits which are so popular on Sunday morning. Finally, thank you to Helen Jones, who has taken on the job of recruiting more helpers onto the coffee rota. If you see her coming towards you with a purposeful look, be ready to be signed up. Churchwarden s Report Report on the Fabric of the Church and Parish Property Richard Crawley We would like to thank the Deputy Wardens (Brendan Sprakes, Martin Crew, Matt Keown and Neil Sutcliffe) for all their support during the year. The buildings are generally in good condition. The last Quinquennial Inspection of the church fabric was carried out in December 2009 (interior and elevations) and April 2010 (roof) by Bruce Bradley with assistance from Brendan Sprakes. No major problems were found. All the minor problems that were identified have now been dealt with. Another Quinquennial Inspection is due later this year. Church: The largest item of expenditure over the past year was a general overhaul of the lead roofing of the church, to repair gradual deterioration and to prevent future trouble. The total cost was 12,400. 3

4 The electrical installations in the church and hall were inspected and tested by a specialist contractor, costing 1,200. Minor repairs were necessary to the church boilers, to replace air release valves and pressure switches, which continue to be unreliable. Some repairs to pipework in the basement were carried out, and other minor leaks are being tackled. The church roof alarm system has had fewer false alarms this year. Hall: The main hall and the foyer were redecorated just after Christmas. All the fluorescent tubes in the ceiling of the main hall were replaced at the same time. Some repairs to the roof of the hall have been necessary, and more may be required because the copper nails that were used to fix the slates when it was built in 1989 are deteriorating. The hall boiler was repaired promptly when the thermocouple failed. The heat exchangers in the ceiling of the main hall were opened up and cleaned thoroughly, and the covers were fitted with chains to make them safer. One air filter is missing. A window in one of the doors to the main hall was broken accidentally and replaced. Croft Estate: The Croft Estate cottages (numbers 9 and 11 Church Drive) are held by Southwell Diocese for the benefit of St Giles Church. They are rented out at a commercial rate and provide useful income for the church, but we are responsible for any alterations or repairs and maintenance. Number 9 was empty for a few weeks in 2013 but both were occupied for most of the year. Internal redecoration was carried out in Number 11, which also needed a new gas cooker following the failure of the old one. Churchyard and Garden: A major landscaping project to create a secure garden around the church hall for children to play in has been completed. Some trees around the hall were trimmed back and then pollarded. Trees around the east end of the church were also trimmed back to allow more light into the church. 4 Maintenance: Regular maintenance tasks have been carried out or organised by Brendan, Martin, me and our Buildings Team throughout the year, including: Servicing and gas safety checks to boilers in the Church, Church Hall and Croft Estate houses (9 and 11 Church Drive) by Gas Safe registered engineers Regular testing of emergency lighting, fire alarms, fire extinguishers and roof alarm system PAT testing of portable electrical items Grass and hedge cutting in church grounds and rectory garden Pruning bushes in church grounds in spring and autumn

5 Clearing blocked drains and gutters, prompt repairs to roofs when necessary Electrical testing of portable appliances Prompt replacement/repair of faulty lights and other equipment Other routine maintenance and repairs Regular review of Health and Safety Policy Silver and Ornaments etc: All of the church silver and ornaments and the altar frontals etc are in excellent condition and we would like to thank Maureen Swann, Beryl Davis, Hazel Burgess and their team for all the work they do. Church and Hall Cleaning: We would also like to thank Helen Jarvis, Aileen Foster and their teams for keeping the church and the hall clean and tidy. Inventory: We are still working on a full revision of the Inventory and Terrier of all the church property. The last full revision was made by Peter Lawson in 2000, with some later amendments. We are including photographs of all the items. Red Chairs: Some of the red chairs which were donated in memory of Cynthia Cleaver in 2004 have begun to deteriorate, with the joints becoming loose. I have been taking batches of them to the company in Mansfield who supplied them and they are repairing them free of charge (so far). Please do not tip them back while you are sitting on them - it puts an enormous strain on the joints. Murals: We continue to change the mural boards on the north wall of the church regularly through the year. We are very grateful to Jenny Bell for creating these murals, which always attract admiration from visitors. Church History: The West Bridgford Local History Society held a meeting in the church recently, and David Dunford gave a very interesting talk about the history of the church. I am frequently asked to investigate baptisms, weddings and burials by relatives of the people concerned, which involves research at Nottinghamshire Archives. Future Projects: The PCC has set up a committee to discuss improvements to the church buildings including a better screen for use during services and other events, and replacing the church lighting with a more effective and aesthetically pleasing system. We hope to get this moving in the next few months. 5

6 Treasurer s Report Eddie Pearce For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6 v21 Key Activities During 2013 there has been significant activity at St Giles. In addition to increasing our contribution to the Diocesan Parish Share by 3% (from 114k to 117k), we have continued to allocate funds to the following important areas: Employment of a Youth Worker for the period from June 2013 Funding of an organist, including the organist s time supporting the St Giles Choir Employment of an Office Administrator for 15 hours per week Continued funding for Junior Church and Seniors activities This expenditure has been funded mainly through Planned Giving, but also from significant rental income from the two Church Cottages, Car Park spaces and the Church Hall. Although planned giving reduced slightly compared to 2012 by around 5k, St Giles was fortunate to receive 32k in one-off donations mainly for Youth Work at St Giles Statutory Accounts The 2013 Statutory Accounts have been independently examined by our Accountants (Lemans), approved by the PCC, and will be presented at the AGM. The key elements of the accounts are: Statement of Financial Activities (showing our income and expenditure for the year) page 4 Balance sheet (showing our available funds at 31 st December 2013) page 5 Income and Expenditure (page 4) Total income of 208k and total expenditure of 201k, resulted in a 7k surplus for the year. Planned Giving ( 99k), one-off donations ( 32k) and the associated Tax Rebates ( 29k) amounts to over 75% of St Giles total income for Other key areas of income include Church and Hall lettings 13k (8%) and Cottage & car park rental 19k (12%). The largest single item of expenditure is the Parish Share, accounting for nearly 60% of St Giles total expenses in Other key areas of expenditure in the year are detailed on page 4, and include; Salaries for Administrator, Youth Worker & Organist 17k (9%) Electric, Gas & Insurance 19k (9%) Repair costs for Church Roof 12k (6%) Balance Sheet (page 5) The Balance Sheet at 31 st December 2013 shows balances for: Cash: 79k 6

7 Fixed Assets: 5k Debtors: 20k Creditors: 7k Relating to Roof Alarm purchased during 2011 and Photocopier purchased during k owed to us by Revenue and Customs for the tax relief on Planned Giving and 1k Electricity debtor 6k general accruals and 1k accrued gas costs The total funds of 97k at 31 st December 2013 comprise: Parish Reserves Ministry & Mission Seniors Ministry General Funds 40k (retained as a prudent buffer against future unforeseen events) 26k (to cover salaries and related expenses of Youth Worker) 1k (utilised to fund activity for Seniors) 30k (utilised to cover the ongoing general costs at St Giles) Support to Mission Partners and other Organisations Note 13 in the accounts summarises the amounts raised and donated by St Giles during the year. Electoral Roll Officer s Report Richard Crawley Last year we were required to compile a completely new roll. This year we only had to carry out a revision. Next completely new roll in Number on roll at AGM 2014: 300 Of this total, 153 live within the parish and 147 outside the parish. Number on roll at AGM 2013: 286 Number of new people added to the roll: 25 Number of people deleted from the roll: 11 (3 died, 3 moved away, 4 resigned ) Previous years for comparison: * * (*years in which new rolls were compiled) 7

8 St Giles Annual PCC Report Adrian Cudmore, PCC Secretary The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is the decision making body of the church and is made up of the Clergy, Churchwardens, Treasurer, elected Deanery Synod representatives and elected representatives of the congregation. In all there were 22 members of the PCC in Anyone on the electoral roll of St Giles may stand for election to the PCC. In effect the PCC are trustees of the church and its finances and is responsible for Maintenance of the church building Being the formal employer of St Giles paid workers Helping with the strategic thinking regarding the shaping vision/ministry of St Giles Reviewing events an be a finger on the pulse of congregational life Providing support and accountability of the Rector Reviewing, advising and helping to make decisions on Finance and use of resources With this remit the last year the PCC has met regularly on a bi-monthly basis to discuss a wide variety of issues, but a central aspect this year has been the service pattern transition. Other aspects discussed included the following: The appointment of Andy Wright as Youthworker, the appointment of Claire Sheard as Administrator, work on the church roof following the Quinquennial Report, the possibility of a Passion Play in 2014, supporting the trip to South Africa by members of Something Else, review of the safeguarding policy supporting local social needs though the Nottingham Credit Union, the Giving Campaign, support of our Mission partners (Friends International, Friary Drop-In, Ha Fusi School and Christian Aid) the establishment of the Church Garden, and the possibility of installing Solar Panels on the Church roof. In addition to the above, discussion and approval of finances have been a critical part of the year and, as we have in recent years, we have been wonderfully supported again by Eddie Pearce as Treasurer. We are indebted to his diligence and hard work to provide timely and well presented information so that financial issues can be properly discussed by all members of the PCC. With this information we have decided on the budget for the year and approval of the annual parish share. The latter required more extensive discussions than usual, due to the unsustainable state of Diocesan finances. Potential priorities for 2014 are initially proposed as being the appointment of a Children s and Families worker and a review of the use of buildings. Members of PCC serve for a renewable three year term and as a result in this year there are six places available for re-election.. Each member of the PCC brings a unique perspective reflecting their roles and responsibilities within the church, as well as their own external expertise, which is frequently invaluable. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their prayerful contribution over the past year. The PCC also assists in guiding the interaction with the Deanery and I would like to thank Pat Lovett, Barbara Parish, Graham Rooke and Johanna Langheld for their continued assistance in this regard. These four places are also available re-election to Deanery Synod following completion of the respective three year term The PCC would like to extend its appreciation to those who have made active contributions to the operation of St Giles through so many ways including Junior Church, Something Else, the Choir, including the Children s Choir, 10.30am music groups and those who have organised events such as the Christian Aid Quiz, which was such a tremendous success last year. 8

9 Prayer Sue Ferraro The past year has seen a steady increase in the profile of prayer at St Giles. We continue to have a faithful cohort who attends Morning Prayer on weekdays at 9.15am in church. It is a lovely start to the day. If you are able to attend I highly recommend giving it a try as it helps set you up for the day having read passages of scripture and prayed. Priority prayer is held on the 2 nd Monday of the month in church at 8pm. At this we specifically pray for all the activities going on in Church please join us as it s crucial that all we do is in line with God s plans and in step with His Spirit. Prayer ministry has been offered at many of the Sunday services it is an opportunity to pray with others about anything on one s mind. We have seen a steady stream of people come up to receive prayer with others and we hope to offer more of this in the coming year. Housegroups have this term studied the Too busy not to pray series this course studies the questions of Why pray? then How can I pray? It is based on the book of the same title by Bill Hybels and is an excellent read - for those of you who are not in a housegroup I highly recommend it! The prayer quest in the 5 th week of Lent encouraged housegroups, the Wednesday morning communion congregation, and others in the church to think about praying in different ways. We focussed on our use of money, social justice, the different people around Jesus cross and our entry into the Holy of Holies through Jesus death. My thanks go to Mike Footit, Rachel White, Angela Fifer and Katie Conley - who were able to transform ideas into immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine by using their gifts and talents. They were inspirational evenings of prayer. 9

10 Pastoral Daphne Carter and Debbie Keown Pastoral support is an all-encompassing name for many activities that take place inside and outside of the church building. It is an expression of our Christian care and love for each other. Pastoral support is not something carried out by Lee alone that is not possible, but he retains an overview and responsibility for our pastoral care. The main team is made up of Lee, Johanna Langheld, Debbie Keown, Maureen Swann and Daphne Carter and we meet regularly to discuss pastoral care and how we might meet needs. There is also a large team of people who have offered their time and energy to support others in times of need and there are many in our congregation who support their friends or members of their particular groups. The pastoral team has been involved in several training sessions during the last few months. From September to November 2013, Daphne attended a 10 week foundation course in Pastoral Care named Called to Care, based on the pastoral visiting ministry. Each week we looked at a different strand of the pastoral care ministry, but running through the whole training was the understanding and practice each week of active listening and responding. We also covered other subjects like good practice in pastoral care; bereavement and loss; the use of empathy rather than sympathy and the importance of being accepting and non-judgmental. In February 2014 Debbie and Johanna attended a training course organised by the diocese aimed to help pastoral care and church leaders better understand mental health issues. The day was led by the NHS spiritual and pastoral care service with presentations from consultant psychiatrists. It was encouraging to hear that those professionals very much value the role that the church plays in supporting people with mental health issues. Our diocese is taking steps to ensure we are better equipped when offering this support and has established a group, Opening Minds to explore how best to provide this. The plan is to appoint Mental Health Awareness Guides for each parish and in March 2014, Daphne and Johanna attended a training day to explore this further. The intention is that Mental Health will become less stigmatised and more understood in our churches and that eventually each church will have a Mental Health Awareness Guide whose role is to ensure that the church is welcoming, accepting and supportive of those with mental health problems. The guide will also be able to signpost people who need help, advice and information. Look out for further information about this initiative in the next few months. Johanna and Daphne will be attending a further meeting to explore the way forward in June. In the past year Pastoral Support at St Giles has included: Clergy visits to hospital, homes and support for individuals and families in need or crisis. Prayer anyone can request to speak to Lee or one of the ministry team after a service, to have their name in the church bulletin or to have their name included in a service s prayer time. 10

11 House Groups which provide physical and spiritual support for their members. Home communion at private homes and residential care homes Maureen Swann leads on this. Meals for new mums or those recently discharged from hospital. Home visits or shopping for the housebound. Transport to worship, church events and hospital appointments. Seniors activities and events (See the Seniors report) For the future, we are exploring the possibilities for: Developing a support group for carers within our congregation an initial meeting has been arranged for Thursday June 26 th. Further training about responding to the needs of vulnerable adults or those with mental health issues to enable us to meet the latter more effectively. Extending our outreach into care homes from carol singing at Christmas to a number of services during the year. We are always looking for volunteers to help with hospital transport, home visiting, shopping etc so if you can spare a little time occasionally, please contact Daphne or Debbie and we will add you to our lists. Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them - not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; 1 Peter 5: 2 11

12 Seniors Doreen Ottway I have taken over the lead for the Seniors Group this year from Johanna, who was a hard act to follow, and I would like to thank her and the Seniors Committee for their support and encouragement, we couldn t have achieved all of the following without them. This has been an amazing year for the Seniors of St Giles. We have enjoyed a wide variety of activities, In May a group of us set off for afternoon tea on the river. Unfortunately the wind was so strong that the Captain decided it was not safe to sail, so we had our tea tied up at the quay. We did however get our trip up the river later in the year when the weather was great. David Dunford took a group for a short holiday at Willersley Castle when they enjoyed some wonderful fellowship with services, games evenings and visits to the surrounding area. He had agreed to organise another holiday in September June and August we had picnics at Wollaton Hall and Highfields it was great to have time to relax and chat then have a little stroll to walk off the food. This year s summer outing was to Kedleston Hall, once again the food supplied by the Tall Frog was fantastic and plentiful and the weather didn t let us down, good job there were trees around for some shade. In September we found out how competitive Seniors can be. Games in the Park with quoits, golf, mini table tennis and boules proved to be an eye opener. Everyone was out to win and the scores were checked and rechecked at regular intervals. The Holocaust Centre visit in October was a very moving experience, we had a talk from a wonderful lady who had been born in a concentration camp and she told us, with photos, how her family had coped with life and survived in the camp. She lost everyone in her family except her mother who has recently died in her 90s. The museum there really brings home how awful life was in the camps and how terribly the prisoners were treated. It rained the whole time which seemed appropriate for the mood of the day. Once again the Christmas dinner was a great success. We were entertained by the children from West Bridgford Junior School and we also sang some Christmas songs and carols. The food was plentiful and the wine flowed so everyone left full of Christmas spirit. The monthly coffee mornings at Bradmore Garden Centre has grown from strength to strength 12

13 with 45 seniors attending in January. We will soon need a mini bus to get everyone there. If you happen to have a spare one lying around please let me know. We have issued a Senior s Term card and you will see the 2014 programme includes a guided tour of the Council House, Crazy Golf, visit to the Workhouse, the usual Summer outing, picnics, Afternoons at the Movies in Church and meals. A lot of these events include food and fun which seems to be high on the Senior s agenda. We are hoping in 2014 to reach the wider community and are planning an Outreach Event in May when we will be asking the Seniors to invite friends, relative and neighbours along for a fun afternoon. Discipleship Katie Conley Review of activities: Home Groups remain at the heart of Discipleship activity at St Giles, providing a great way for people to grow their Christian faith. There are currently about 60 people at St Giles who regularly attend home groups. The Home Group leaders also meet regularly to learn, encourage each other and pray together. We recently had some HG Leadership training delivered by Wei Shen Lim from Cornerstone Church. This was a great opportunity to learn and refresh the basics of leading small Bible groups and it was a very informative evening. The Home Group leaders are Angela Fifer, Tim Bills & Jess Davy, Kristine & Jonathan Mole, Karen Clingan, Neil & Rosy Sutcliffe, David & Andrea Davis, Adrian Cudmore and Hannah Crawford. Please give thanks for their continued hospitality in opening their homes each week, preparing Bible studies, and for continued fellowship and prayer support for the people in their groups. Courses Seniors Alpha The first Seniors Alpha course was run in the Autumn, and was attended by 23 people. Thanks to Johanna Langheld, Loris Brown and Alison Place for making this possible. Following on from this course most of the people who did Alpha continue to meet each week for Bible Study and fellowship. A Lent course called Too Busy Not To Pray was run by all the house groups and also the post Alpha Seniors Group. This course was open to people not in house groups and 2 new groups were set up. It is hoped that these groups will continue as house groups after the course finishes. Thanks to Christopher & Sheila Wheaton for running one and to Martin & Caroline Crew for hosting the other, and please pray for the continuation of these groups. Future Plans Opening up the Bible course A short course to help open up the Bible is planned for the Autumn. 13

14 Something Else Graham and Kat Rooke Something Else is the more informal of St Giles Sunday services, meeting in the George Chapel every Sunday evening for a service of worship, teaching and prayer. We currently have a congregation of around 40, largely made up of those in their 20 s and 30 s, although we do also have those spanning every other age group! At Something Else, we re always keen to do whatever we can to build community. We sometimes eat together before the Something Else service and our competitive edge has this year seen us play Crazy Golf and Indoor Bowls together! We enjoy our annual bonfire party and we attended Copper Café for our Christmas Party, complete with buffet meal and Christmas quiz. Enjoying community is so important for our worship of God together. As well as our worship together on Sunday evenings, our Hungry events help create space to seek the Father s presence. Sometimes this means singing, sometimes this means praying words of encouragement over each other and sometimes this means getting out and about praying for West Bridgford. We ve had really two great trips this last year. In January 2014, eighteen of us attended Center Parcs for Retreat to Advance, a New Wine weekend for 18-30s. It is an opportunity to dedicate a weekend to meeting God, encouraging and challenging each other as we enjoy some teaching and worship sessions, supplemented by our own fun of swimming and playing some competitive board games! Our other great trip saw six of us head to South Africa to serve alongside Hands at Work, a Christian charity that works in poor, rural communities across the African continent. Hands at Work exist to serve and enable the local church to stand alongside the widow, orphan and vulnerable. In our short time there we worked alongside local volunteers conducting home visits to widows and orphans, praying with them and serving them in their homes. We worked with care centres, serving food to the children identified as the most vulnerable and unlikely to eat a meal that day. We played games and dug the ground to build seating areas at the care centre. Above all, we talked and listened and prayed as we built relationships and shared stories of God at work in our very different lives. We didn t just travel far to engage in the mission of God, we also went around the corner. For Christmas 2013, 14

15 Something Else hosted Beers and Carols at the Stratford Haven. With drinks flowing the pub was packed with people singing Christmas Carols! With church friends and visitors alike, the name of God was lifted high in our singing that night as we prepared for the real meaning of Christmas. All in all, we ve had a busy year! Please pray for us as a congregation and a community, that we will know more of God in this next year, individually and as a community and that we will know His direction as we look to what is next for Something Else. Safeguarding Dizzy Prentice In the autumn of 2013, the diocese ceased to deal with paper applications to the Disclosure and Barring Service, the new organisation which has replaced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau). Instead, we are required to register with CCPAS - Churches' Child Protection Advisory Service - as a parish and deal with clearances through the online system, as well as keeping records of when clearances are due (every 3 years). As a parish, we were first to take advantage of this and, judging from some diocesan circulars, some parishes have still not registered! Hopefully, this is because they have no one working with children and young people! The new system does, though, put the onus on individuals to go online to register and only then to present their identification documents. I would encourage people to do this as quickly as possible when reminded; once they have registered and their documents have been entered on line and approved, the computerised system can be very fast indeed; in fact in one case, an application was approved in the afternoon and notification of clearance arrived that evening! This is something of a revelation when compared with the manual system which could take several months. There is an another advantage to the system; once you receive your clearance, you can register for the Update Service, which enables you to use the clearance with other organisations, which is very useful for those with multiple clearances! Thank you to everyone who works with children and vulnerable adults at St Giles ; you are doing sterling work, but please remember to renew your clearance when asked? 15

16 Music Andrew Rootham I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 In looking back over the past year, the most significant impact on the musical and worship life of St. Giles has been the change to the new patterns of worship. It has been great to see more people becoming involved in leading worship at the morning services. There are too many people for me to mention individually, but I would particularly like to thank Hannah Crawford for agreeing to take on the leadership of one of the worship groups and also co-ordinating the music rotas for this service. Thanks also to Martin Crew and his team of sound operators who play such a vital role in ensuring our worship groups run smoothly and can clearly be heard. With such a diverse range of congregation members, one of the main challenges has been the song choices. We have tried to introduce some new songs while not neglecting some of the more well known ones and I know that we may not have always got the balance right to suit everyone. However, a lot of thought and prayer goes into choosing songs for a service and our aim is always to enhance our worship experience and enable everyone present to draw closer to God and feel his presence. At the 9am communion service, Chris Bell has taken a big part in helping to share the load of playing the organ. His dedication and commitment to excellence in worship has been obvious and I thank him for being willing to take on these extra acts of service. We also welcome Claire Barker as a new recruit on the organ. The church junior band has continued to flourish throughout the year, playing at all age services and also extra events such as the Nativity service and the carols by candlelight service. This band is really maturing as a group and it has been a pleasure to see their growth in confidence. We are now moving towards the stage when we need to start building this up from the younger end again in order to continue a fully functioning group once some of the older members inevitably move away to university etc. Choir information will be found in Dizzy s report below, but I would personally like to thank the choir for their dedication in practices and their willingness to embrace the music I put in front of them. 16

17 Thank you also to everyone who has been involved in music and worship in any way and I trust that we will continue to move forward positively in our quest to deepen our relationship with God and each other. Choir Dizzy Prentice The choir has practised in church fortnightly on Fridays throughout the year, and contributed to worship on Sundays, since October 2013 at the 9 o clock service. We also lead Choral Evensong twice a month on a rota basis and sing anthems and introits at most of them; this is a contemplative service in the choir stalls, with the opportunity for quiet reflection, as well as traditional worship. This year several new people have joined the congregation. Again this year our numbers have been augmented by church members and others for special services, in particular our performance of Faure s Requiem at Easter and Carols by Candlelight at Christmas. Not all our members can sing at all services or events and we welcome them and appreciate the commitment they are able to make. We would welcome new members on that basis too! We sing a special evensong service at least twice a year, as well as leading services, and take part in a church concert every few years. The music is often challenging, but always enjoyable. You do not need to be a sight reader to join us, just love music! Junior Choir Sally Poon The Junior Choir has now been running for 3 full years, continuing to sing alongside the band at the All Age Worships on a monthly basis. Some of our original older members have now moved into the Junior Band, so we have been trying to recruit new members. It was our privilege to sing at the first service of the new trial worship pattern and get it off to a flying start. We have agreed that we will run the Junior Choir on a turn up and sing basis on a Sunday morning, working alongside the Junior Band, thus leaving the adult worship band to have a full rehearsal before all the elements come together. We hope that this will attract some new members. We were delighted to have been able to take part once again in the Carols by Candlelight Service. The choir sang their very best to a very packed St.Giles. My thanks go to our musical maestro Andrew Rootham for his magic fingers, Sally Proudlove for her crowd control and enthusiasm, Caroline Crew and Gerry Campbell for their enthusiastic and confident leading of the singing. My other thanks go to the Junior Choir members who have sung and taken part over this last year. 17

18 Junior Church Sarah and Iain Moppett The children of St Giles have had another fun-filled year at Junior Church learning about what it means to follow Jesus. Most weeks they follow the sessions from the Scripture Union material. This allows them to follow a theme over a few weeks such as the example of Daniel. We like to mix things up a bit and we have a 'fun' session once a term with games and a bit of party food. Ideal to bring some friends to. The Nativity this year saw the usual medley of angels, shepherds and wise men retelling the first Christmas, through the eyes of some worldweary paparazzi. We had an extra member of the cast this year with a real-life donkey. Last year's Good Friday Club had record numbers. The church really is buzzing with all the children - it's hard to believe we used to squeeze into the church hall. Talking of numbers, we've enjoyed some busy weeks in Junior Church since the changes in service times. The children really seem to enjoy mingling with folk before the service. None of this could happen without the support of Lee and of course all our leaders and helpers, to whom we owe much thanks. Sunbeams Claire Sheard We have had another lovely year with our preschool Sunbeams on Sunday mornings. The pattern of the sessions has changed a little since the introduction of the 10.30am service. We no longer need to provide a drink and a biscuit as most of the children will have enjoyed something from the table of refreshments in church during the coffee time that now takes place beforehand. So we kick off each session with free play with toys, followed by some quiet time sitting together to listen to a story from the Bible and to talk about its meaning in the context of their young 18

19 lives. We then finish with a simple prayer. The children then get creative with a craft activity that reinforces the day s story. Over the last year there have been fewer children in Sunbeams than in previous years so we have reorganised our rota to provide for just two leaders/helpers at each session. This has reduced the frequency of commitment that we ask of our existing helpers. We have also been delighted to welcome a number of new helpers to the Sunbeams team. We are ever thankful to everyone who comes to help out. We all enjoyed watching the young children develop their confidence during Sunbeams sessions, as in time they happily leave their parents to come somewhere they feel relaxed and comfortable, where we can have fun and start to learn about Jesus. Messy Church Caroline Harper It has been a fourth successful year for Messy Church. We have now grown to such a degree that Andy Wright and Sally Proudlove have set up Fusion, a group aimed at the Year 5 and 6 (children aged 10 and 11) which meets in the church hall at the same time as Messy Church is happening in church. They have their own programme of activities and then we share tea together later on. We rounded off last year with a huge party in the Rectory garden, complete with bouncy castle, games, garden sprinklers and stacks of pizza and crisps. The sun shone and much fun was had by all. Back in church, we have looked at various themes, both from the Old and New Testament. Our most recent series; Love Your Neighbour, Love God and Love Your World has taken us from the book of Genesis through to the parables of Jesus. As ever, we have learned about God through crafts, singing, stories and generally making a mess and having fun. My thanks to everyone who supports us, for the craft materials donated, time given and prayers offered. Biggest thanks of all for the continued support of the Messy Church team: Tracey and Bethany Turrill, Roger and Doreen Ottway, Hazel and Sam Burgess, Kristine Mole, Caroline Crew, Sally Poon and Karen Clingan. Finally, one last thank you; to someone who was overlooked last year and without whom we would all starve. Thank you, thank you, Eddie Harper for all your hard work preparing the food whilst hiding away in the kitchen. We will all miss you next October after you leave for university. Eddie s leaving us leads neatly into my usual plea for helpers if you feel that you could spare one afternoon a month to get involved with Messy Church, I would love to hear from you. No experience is required, nor any special abilities. All anybody needs is an enthusiasm to see children and families getting involved in church and meeting Jesus in a friendly, welcoming and most of all, fun, environment. 19

20 Tiddlers Caroline Crew Tiddlers goes from strength to strength. We regularly have between 40 to 50 children per week with around 30 to 40 adults, that's mums, dads, grans, grandpas and child carers, a very diverse group. Many of our families are encouraged to join in our children's church activities and come to Messy Church, All Age Services and then come for Baptism. There is coffee and tea for the adults, juice biscuits and craft for the kids as well as lots of opportunities to socialise and play. None of this would be possible without our team of brilliant helpers Marolyn does a sterling job preparing the craft every week and Hazel, Sam and Tony tirelessly help us to set up the toys put out the chairs and make endless cups of tea and coffee. The parents and carers that use the toddler group rely on the group to meet other adults and for the children to socialise. Unfortunately as children are growing up and heading off to school some of our regular helpers over the years have diminished, and from September we will be desperately short of helpers. If you could spare a couple of hours on a Thursday morning for setting up toys, helping with coffee and tidying up at the end of the session we would love to see you. Please get in touch with Caroline Crew if you would like to help. 20

21 Andy Wright It has been amazing to join St Giles and become the youth work over this past year. We are extremely blessed to have a growing youth group at St Giles and a great leadership team to support and guide us through all the different areas we cover. Our vision for the youth is to see them grow in faith with Jesus, and know that he is their Lord and saviour. Throughout all our different activities and groups we have around 40 young people. This year has been so full of brilliant highlights, including our youth bonfire at the rectory, the first of 3 bonfires to be held at the rectory that weekend! We also have had 20 regularly coming to our fortnightly Friday night socials which have been brilliant fun, we had a Christmas part where we had 35 young people playing games, and having a tournament on the inflatable gladiators! More recently we had our youth weekend away where 39 of us went away to the Rock UK in Northamptonshire. Our Sunday Mornings are continuing to go well, with around 20 people coming to the rectory for Horizons and Discovers. Our Impact bible study group has also grown to around 7 or 8 people coming to the Moppets every Tuesday evening, we have been going through the Alpha course this term, and it has been amazing to see the young people exploring their faith. I would like to say a tremendous thank you to everyone who has helped and supported the youth since I started, I have felt so welcomed and supported. 21

22 Deanery Synod Update Johanna Langheld Introduction St Giles is part of the West Bingham Deanery, covering 23 Anglican parishes in West Bridgford, Wilford, Clifton, Ruddington, and the rural villages around Gotham and East Leake, going out to the border with Leicestershire. It is led by the Ven. Peter Hill as Archdeacon of Nottingham. There is also a lead clergy person, the Area Dean, appointed by the diocesan Bishop. At present this is Revd Canon John Bentham. Its Synod meetings bring together clergy and lay representatives three or four times a year. The meetings consist of Deanery Synod business and a speaker, plus reports from Diocesan Synod and General Synod. Those who represent St Giles are: Johanna Langheld (who also sits on the West Bingham Deanery Standing Committee) Pat Lovett, Barbara Parish and Graham Rooke. Our Deanery Synod has met four times since the last AGM. Deanery and Diocesan Synod The West Bingham Deanery Synod's main preoccupation in 2013 has been the "2020 Vision" or Deanery deployment plan for stipendiary ministers and paid lay people. A predicted fall in the number of clergy over the next few years requires greater cooperation between parishes and fewer churches with exclusive full time ministers. A lengthy consultation process resulted in decisions to continue to prioritise Clifton (the most area in the Deanery), increase "Fresh Expressions" ministyr, slightly reduce ministry in the rural areas and continue to support a full time appointment at St. Giles. Towards the end of the year it became clear that the financial position of the Deanery was weaker than expected with a predicted reduction in parish share to about 85% of the Diocese's funding request. A finance working group will now look at future funding options. Work will also commence on the use of church buildings (including possible closures). The Diocesan Synod meets twice a year and is mainly a forum for receiving reports about Diocesan iniatives, financial updates and reports on on Diocesan's supported schools. In 2013 there was also a particular focus on social justice issues including a special initiative on credit unions (which St. Giles actively supported). The priority for the next year will be the appointment of a new Bishop and, probably, a review of spending commitments in the light of falling parish shares. 22

23 Mission Partner Update: Friends International Claire Barker Friends International is a ministry focused on sharing the love of Christ with international students from across the Globe. We might not think of ourselves as those with a calling to go overseas, but here we are in Nottingham with a unique opportunity at our doorstep to be involved in God s world mission to some of the annual 10,000 international students. Deuteronomy 10:18-19 tells us that God loves the foreigner and instructs us also to love those who are foreigners. One of the best ways we can love international students is through hospitality. In mid-september when the new intake arrive most have little opportunity to make any contact with a local family. They may not even have thought they could know local people beyond fellow students. Yet given the opportunity hospitality in a local home can be one of the most treasured experiences they can have during their short time in the UK. Sometimes students are longing to find a listening ear just someone who will take the time and listen patiently with understanding. As we get to know students through hospitality it may well be that students begin to share at a deeper level. Could you be someone willing to care and perhaps share how God has helped you? A very exciting development this year has been the launching of the Philip Project. This is a monthly Bible Training course teaching Biblehandling skills to international students who may be leaders of bible study groups or even larger groups when they return to their home countries. International students in Nottingham sometimes come from countries that are hostile to Christian witness. We are quietly and carefully finding creative ways to share Christ s love with such students. It is not easy and we would greatly value more volunteers and prayer. Recently we had a wonderful weekend away in the Peak District. Students were from Egypt, Iraq, China, Malaysia, Spain and Romania. They and the volunteers mixed so well together that it felt like a big family. One student texted afterwards: we are really like a big family and I still cannot stop myself thinking of this weekend Thank God let me meet you. We have several teams involved in international student ministry: weekly Globe Cafes (City Centre, Beeston, Jubilee), fortnightly CAMEO (for wives of international students), monthly Philip Project, Bible courses, seasonal events, trips. If you would be interested in volunteering in any way, please contact our staff workers: Liz Middleton liz.middleton@friendsinternational.org.uk Tel: Rachel Chard rachel.chard@friendsinternational.org.uk Tel:: In particular, could St. Giles raise up more volunteer hosts for this coming September? Please consider and pray whether you could join this strategic, meaningful, rewarding ministry. THANK YOU! 23

24 Mission Partner Update: Ha Fusi Elizabeth and David Dunford It is wonderful to report that Fusi Secondary School is now a well-established institution in the local area. For the second year running there have been outstanding results for its students in the external exams which enable them to continue their studies at High School and beyond. The major development on the school site has been the provision of a mains electricity supply. A year ago, this was a dream and we searched and prayed for a solution to our financial needs. Our prayers were answered by the generous help of the Southern Africa Church Development Trust. Originally, it promised to pay for half the costs ( 22,000), but later agreed to support virtually the whole project. What wonderful generosity. Work s t a r t e d i n November and, despite various setbacks and problems, the job has been completed. Soon the promised computer lab will be connected and the students at the school can receive an education previously unthought-of. Another major achievement has been the Lesotho government's agreement to pay all the teachers at the school. This has been a slow painstaking process, but the school is now theoretically self-sufficient and will only need support for one-off capital projects. There are still many needs but the future of the school is assured. As mentioned earlier, 2013 saw another set of good results with a student achieving a merit for the second year running. The Rafiki Thabo Foundation (the charity which supports the school) is continuing to support ex-students of the school in their further education studies. The two students supported last year have done well and will sit their next set of public exams in November, after which they will hopefully aspire to university or further education or training. This year we have promised to support five more students who are now starting on their High School studies. Please continue to support the work. Your contributions both financial and prayerful are greatly appreciated. 24

25 Mission Partner Update: Christian Aid Matt and Debbie Keown Christian Aid is a Christian organisation that insists the world can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. They work globally, through local partner organisations, for profound change that eradicates the causes of poverty, striving to achieve equality, dignity and freedom for all, regardless of faith or nationality. In 2013 Christian Aid helped millions of people make that shift: They played a pivotal role in the IF campaign pushing tax justice high up on the G8 agenda and, for the first time, making tax dodging a real development issue; They helped organise a march of 60,000 of India s poorest people to claim their right to land; They provided emergency relief to tens of thousands of people fleeing the conflict in Syria and helped communities rebuild in the wake of flooding in the Philippines; They helped almost 1 million people get access to essential services and adopt safer health practices. Alongside these headline successes are countless smaller but equally profound changes. These are changes that are only possible by working through local partners on the ground, partners that are precisely attuned to what their communities want and need. This is the kind of development that sets Christian Aid apart, and it's the type of development that can finally eradicate poverty, once and for all. LOCAL FUNDRAISING Christian Aid week 2013 raised almost 12 million, 9m of which came from the house to house collections. The East Midlands area contributed 507,000 of which 18,695 came from the West Bridgford group of churches and 8,878 from St Giles. We are extremely proud of the role St Giles plays in contributing to this fantastic total and pray that this can continue as we hand over the role of heading up the fundraising. Christian Aid Week 2014 runs from the 11 th to 17 th May and our amazing team of over 30 volunteers will once again demonstrate their love for God and for humanity through house to house collecting. 25

26 'The body does not consist of one member but of many' 1 Corinthians 12:14 Thank you for joining us the more envelopes we deliver, the more lives we can change. In addition to the house to house collections, we will be introducing a new fundraising event called Dine in with St. Giles headed up by Johanna Langheld and Jude Hill. Breakfasts, lunch and dinner parties will be taking place during Christian Aid Week, allowing the congregation (and non-church friends) to sign up, enjoy some fellowship, delicious food and fundraise for Christian Aid all at the same time! Be an instrument of God s peace. Give, act and pray this Christian Aid Week Mission Partner Update: The Friary Sam Crawford The past year has brought with it continued high demand for our service as the austerity measures continue to bite. We have seen continued need for practical assistance in the form of food and clothing, however, the area in which we have experienced a particular increase in demand is that of advice. We have seen an 26

27 increase in the amount of housing and welfare benefit related enquiries of around 50% in the past year. This is a reflection on the effects of the welfare reform, as people struggle to maintain suitable income and find sustainable housing solutions. The welfare reform has been a particularly big driver when it comes to dictating the types of need we have been presented with over the past year. Probably inevitably, the biggest shake up of the welfare state since its inception, has caused many of our service users to have to make some rather difficult decisions when it comes to how to survive on a very low income. Recently we decided that we would like to hear from our service users about how the welfare reform has really affected them and their lives. Below are two responses from our consultation with service users about this: Since last October I have really struggled. I have to pay a week bedroom tax since my daughter left home and I have to pay council tax. I haven t been able to have the gas on so I have had no heating over the winter I just sit with extra jumpers and blankets on. Because of how the benefits are now, heating is a luxury. I have around a week for food and although I try to budget and be economical, I cannot get through the week. I would have frowned on getting food parcels at one time but now I come here to Friary for them. I have bipolar disorder and I am diabetic and have other health issues, but I feel under great pressure to get a job. I have to have three meals a day because of being diabetic and I often sit in the dark to save electricity. They stopped my money for eight weeks because I was in bed with depression and couldn t read through the letters they sent me and just couldn t get the hang of things. I had nothing to live on for eight weeks and had to sell the TV and computer which I was buying through a catalogue. I just completely fell into debt. I haven t had the heating on all winter. I worked out that two hours of heating cost me 1.56 so I turned it back off again. I suffer from depression but you ve got to be nearly dead to sign on the sick and there are no hardship payments now. The government is trying to cut the deficit by starving everybody. I ve never had such a depressing year. I ve been hit by the bedroom tax and I ve got to move even though I thought I d found my home for the rest of my life. That affects me mentally because I get on great with my neighbours. These real life stories portray the real life cost of welfare reform and are far more powerful than any statistics I could come up with. These are real people who are finding life really tough. Please pray that we, at The Friary, would have the wisdom, resources, compassion and stamina that we need to show Jesus love to our service users, support them and assist them into recovery. 27

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